Two sets on the Prov/Stoughton line this evening with locos at both ends: 6:10 to Providence, and the 5:50 to Stoughton. The latter is a five car flat set with an HSP 46 on the west end, a GP 40 on the east end. That's a whole lotta' horsepower for that little train.

Correct, both engines were running on both trains, and HEP appeared to be being generated from the west end. That eastbound equipment you saw with the HSP & GP runs as an eastbound express unscheduled non-revenue extra from Stoughton approximately ten minutes behind train 920. I could be wrong, but I don't believe it appears on the trackers. You may have seen another nearby train on the tracker (but I could be wrong).

ohalloranchris wrote: That eastbound equipment you saw with the HSP & GP runs as an eastbound express unscheduled non-revenue extra from Stoughton approximately ten minutes behind train 920. I could be wrong, but I don't believe it appears on the trackers. You may have seen another nearby train on the tracker (but I could be wrong).

That's quite possible. I guess its good that they're able to run the train even with the 2 engines since Keolis can't seem to resolve the coach shortage.

Sets with 2 locos and no control coaches are invisible to any tracker since they have neither PTIS nor GPS. The most common (current) reason for the 2 loco sets is the lack of control coaches. The other 2 loco set on the South Side was recently on the Worcester line without a control coach: 1126-722D-900-622-640 (in the "Girl on the Train" wrap!) -707-1070 (west to east). Without a control coach, it was frustratingly invisible to the trackers. And it's not only invisible to us - it's also invisible to Keolis customer service (so the T-Alerts, etc. folks need to get info about the train from the dispatchers...and on the Worcester line, the dispatchers can't see equipment location with ANY detail between Boston and CP 21).

It's certainly possible to have a 2 loco set WITH a control coach - and I guess that might happen if a control coach has dead controls (making it a blind trailer coach, at least temporarily) and just being used to provide seats. If the PTIS was working on that type of consist, the trackers could see it.

Does the Providence line have two 8 car sets now? Apart from the usual 808/825 train, I noticed 821 (4:30PM from South Station) had 8 doubles today. Has it been like that for a while or did they not have any other 7 car sets to use?

Under the old schedule, 815 (4:35 from South Station) had 7 doubles and terminated at Providence. 821 has the same stops as 815 (skipping Hyde Park and Canton Junction), but now goes down to Wickford Junction. Was the 8th car needed to accommodate those extra two stops, especially since that train is sandwiched between 819 and 823, which end at Providence?

806 808 and 842 are 8 car sets.....(806 and 808 are Pawtucket based sets, while 841/842 are Readville based) The other 8 car set floating around is the Worcester set, bringing the total to 4 eight car sets on the South Side currently

We know that 808's set is usually used for 825. During the PM rush hour, is 842's set used for 821 (4:30PM outbound)? It looks like that train comes back to Boston as 832 (6:55PM from Wickford). I assume that stays in Boston overnight?

Also, based on the schedule, it looks like after 823 (4:55PM outbound) gets down to Providence, it stays down there for the night. I assume that's the 806 train set too?

I really dig the new fleece winter hats Keolis has handed out to the southside conductors. Has a nicely-stitched image of a marauding (F40?) loco over the earflaps with the word "SOUTHSIDE" in big bold block letters underneath it. Looks like some badass graphic design for a new NHL expansion team's logo. I was complimenting a conductor on Train 019 yesterday about his new schwag; he said it was the most comfortable thing ever in all the cold wind this week. I so want one of those things.

Hope you northsider employees aren't getting the short shrift here and are getting your own team gear.